Nico's totally unfair life
by kaido8
Summary: The wizards have a prophecy, a very important one, no shit. And so, of course, they asked for help from the professionals at handling phrophecies- the Greek world. And guess who has to go on a long-term mission to ensure the prophecy runs smoothly? Naturally, it's their youngest experienced demigod. And maybe, perhaps, he would be reunited with someone he has long forgotten...
1. Chapter 1

**_Chapter One_**

 **I welcome all criticism to the story, or any advice to make this story better.**

 **Summary:**

 **The wizards have a prophecy, a very important one, no shit. And so, of course, they asked for help from the professionals at handling phrophecies- the Greek world. And guess who has to go on a long-term mission to ensure the prophecy runs smoothly? Naturally, it's their youngest experienced demigod. And maybe, perhaps, he would be reunited with someone he has long forgotten...**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson, nor do I own Harry Potter.**

* * *

We are going to start this story at a distant point in the past, way back before Harry Potter's time, before the first reign of Lord Voldemort, and before the moment where Tom Riddle first set foot on Hogwarts…

Deep in the forests of England, a ten-year-old Tom Marvolo Riddle plunged through the stunted coppices and hacked at the misshapen thickets of the dark woodland.

He didn't care for the thorned brambles which scratched at his delicate, exposed skin, leaving red, raw marks on the pale flesh, nor did he care for the acrid, cold air which scorched his lungs and burnt the back of his throat, all he wanted– all he could think of – was to put as much distance between him and those ...those annoying, ignorant, disgusting, lowly _life forms_.

What was the deal with them, anyways?

Forcing him to go on this supposedly "fun" and "educational" trip to the sea, even though he knows that no one wants him to be there.

And then not batting an eye at the other kids who shoved him into the cold seawater, who spat at him and called him a freak, laughing as he tried to wring out the saltwater from his clothes.

It was their fault, wasn't it?

They were the ones who started it, weren't they?

So why was he the one punished and spanked, in front of all the others, while they weren't?

Why was he always the one who they humiliated?

Why was it always so unfair?

...

 _I'm alone._

Tom stopped in his tracks, right in the middle of a moonlight-filled clearing.

 _I'm alone._

Tom realized for the thousandth time.

 _There's no one else out there in the world for me._

He forcefully swallowed back the sob rising up in his throat. But his eyes betrayed him as they filled up with tears.

 _Stop it._

He told himself.

 _You are beneath this._

A single streak made out of a child's pain, loneliness, and innocence made its way down his cheek, finally dropping down onto the forest ground.

He watched the soil absorb it.

 _You are beneath this!_

He told himself, firmly this time.

He was angry, but this time with himself, for being so pathetic, weak, and helpless, the very kind of people he hates, with a passion.

But, really, who could blame him?

After all, he is just a ten-year-old child who has no one in the world to cling to in the end.

Then, he stood there for a while, indulging himself in the serenity of the forest, and allowing himself to calm down and restore his mental fortitude.

He kept his head bowed, watching the silver moonlight spill across the forest floor and the dancing shadows of the many leaves and branches towering over his head. He could hear the clear chirping of crickets, which seemed to emit from all four sides, even though no one ever seems to see the crickets. He watched as a small beetle wove its way across his sight through the weeds and leaves blanketing the soil.

He started to lift his boot over the insect, aiming to crush it into the ground.

When he heard the unmistakable sound of a dry leaf crinkling under the weight of a single shoe.

He nearly snapped his neck while turning towards the source of the sound.

 _Who was it?_ He thought wildly. _Was it someone from the orphanage? How? How did they manage to get so close without me detecting them?_

No... more importantly, did they see his little breakdown...?

He has never shown his weak side to anyone, ever.

No... anyone who sees this side of him... must cease to exist to tell the tale.

He strode briskly towards the direction of the intruder, he was angry, yet wary of who it was. Then, he stopped in his tracks as a pair of coal black eyes peeked out at him from behind a tree.

A young boy stepped away from the tree and into the luminescent clearing, his dark eyes peering up at Tom nervously.

The first thing Tom had remembered of the boy was how _black_ his eyes were, and yet somehow, they held a certain warm and otherworldly aura. Like…. like somehow they are out of this world, or, some might even say, godly.

However, at the same time, they practically shone of purity and innocence, as if they were still unaware of the cruelty of the world, or the unfairness of the fates, as if they had been sheltered from everything, which, of course, at that point of time, they had.

It didn't take long for Tom to realize that this boy was different from the rest.

Like him.

But he didn't have time to ponder about that for now.

It was time for a confrontation.

* * *

Nico di Angelo stirred, shaking off the leaves that have gathered on him. He yawned quietly and sat up, feeling disoriented. As he reached up a hand to disentangle the leaves from his dark curls, he looked around to discern his surroundings.

It was dark, and creepy, he decided.

His next thought was," Bianca...?'

The older girl was nowhere to be found, nor was his mama.

Then, Nico finally recalled the string of events leading up to this:

 _Mama was bringing them on a trip to somewhere new, she called it the 'New world'. It was Nico's first time leaving his home, so he was excited. Then, on the way, they stopped at England, to visit a friend of nono_ 's _. Then, after dinner, he went out to explore the woods behind the mansion, of course, Bianca came with him to make sure he didn't get lost. Of course, that turned out to be for naught._

 _While Bianca was drawing sketches of some flowers, Nico grew bored and impatient, then, he saw a pure white figure among the trees, it looked like a horse, but Nico knew it had to be something else. He slowly wandered near_ _it, and was transfixed by the creature._

It's pretty _, he thought._

 _But the closer the got to the creature, the further it seemed to shy away._

 _Impatiently, Nico ran towards it, and the creature started to gallop away in turn._

 _"Wait up, horsey!"_

 _He was intent on trying to catch the creature, trotting through the forest as fast as he can, and widening the distance between him and Bianca at the same time._

 _Before he knew it, he was out of breath, and totally, and utterly lost._

 _Defeated and exhausted, Nico slumped against a thick tree trunk and slid onto the forest floor. The sky was getting dark, and after running for so long, Nico was sleepy._

 _He curled up on the mossy blanket, taking comfort in the shadows sheltering him, and fell asleep._

 _By the time the mystical creature arrived beside his curled up form_ , _and stood guard against any horrors the dark forest would have, Nico was already too deep in the embrace of Morpheus to notice._

* * *

Nico knew that he was lost, lost in this unfamiliar forest in the middle of the night, without his older sister by his side.

He started worrying that Mama and Bianca will become worried about him, and start searching for him and get lost as well.

Also, he was hungry.

Nico had gotten to his feet just when he heard a loud rustle in the trees, which sounded like something was headed his way, and fast.

Turning around, Nico quickly hid behind a large walnut tree.

It might be Bianca or Mama, but it also might be a large scary monster.

He heard the thing stop somewhere behind him.

Leaning against the tree, he slowly turned around and peeked out.

What he saw wasn't a huge monster, nor was it Mama or Bianca.

It was a boy.

The boy was standing with his head bowed, the moonlight streaming down his mass of dark hair, intertwining between each lock, then it pooled over his shoulders and spilled to the forest ground. His fists were clenched.

Nico's eyes widened.

 _It's beautiful_ , he thought.

Nico stared at the stranger for a while, entranced.

Then he got shook out of his stupor when the boy started crying.

Nico realized that he was trespassing on a private moment, and decided that it was better to leave.

That's when his shoe stepped on one of the many fallen leafs in the forest.

The loud sound even made Nico cringe, and he knew that the boy had heard it too.

Nico decided that he should own up to his own actions, and stepped away from the tree, meeting the other boy's eyes nervously.

* * *

 **Thanks for visiting the first chapter of my story, the next chapter should be put up soon, as my finals have just ended.**

 **Please review, even if it's just for criticism, I would be glad to accept any advice.**

 **Bye for now, then.**

 **●ω●**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

 **I've been thinking... since I already did a disclaimer in the first chapter, I wouldn't need to do one for every other chapter.**

 **...**

 **Right?**

* * *

 **"** Hey, Nico!"

Nico Di Angelo looked up to the source of the voice, seeing Annabeth and Percy walking towards him. They were holding hands.

He raised a hand in greeting.

"Hey," He smiled wryly.

"Do you have anything planned? Seaweed and I are planning on having a picnic near the lake later, it would be nice to have you there with us for once," Annabeth smiled,"we thought that you could take a break from your cabin, you _have_ been working on it for days straight."

" Hmm? Oh, um... well, I do want it done as fast as possible, and I'm not really tired ,since I'm not the one doing the work, after all." He gestured to the skeletons he had set on to build his cabin. ''See?"

Percy frowned," Come on, Neeks, loosen up for a while! We haven't had a proper time together after the war... lets just go and have fun for a while alright?"

He set a hand on Nico's shoulder," It's about time the three of us had fun together. This is a happy time! The war is over, the phrophecy is finished, and it seems that your relationship with your dad had gotten better. Why don't you just leave your skeletions at work and come down to the lake with us?"

Nico looks up at his clear sea green eyes, which seems to have an ability to _sparkle_ all the time. They were trained intensely onto his, Nico looked away.

 _'The three of us'_

Nico shrugged his hand off, he could see the slight flinch and the evident hurt portrayed in his eyes.

" Sorry, Percy, Annabeth, maybe another time. I have to supervise the skeletons, otherwise, they would just sink back into the earth,''

He looks down at the blueprints of his new cabin ," you two go on ahead, have fun, and there's no need to worry about me, I'm fine."

Percy pouted, and started to protest some more, when Annabeth intervened.

" Alright then Nico, we'll respect your wishes this time, but you better come with us next time! We won't forgive you if you don't, right, Percy?"

Percy was clearly unhappy with this, but he decided to let it go.

For now.

Ever since the war ended, he had assumed that Nico might finally be able to become open to him, but instead, Nico seems to be avoiding him, for some reason. He wouldn't even look Percy in the eye properly.

He just didn't understand, had he done something wrong? Was there something troubling Nico? Was he still blaming Percy for the death of his elder sister?

Percy wanted to help Nico, he wanted to be someone who Nico could believe in and trust, as he had when they first met. He wanted to find out and solve all of Nico's problems, he wanted to comfort the boy.

Nico was only around eleven, he was too young to have become like this, to be exposed to dangerous world demigods reside in.

Percy could see the pain in his eyes, he wanted to find out what was hurting him.

"Percy, could you run down to the mess hall and start gathering the things for our picnic? I'll be joining you soon." Annabeth gave him a gentle push in the general direction of the mess hall.

Percy obliged, running down the hill, casting a worried look back at Nico.

"Nico," Annabeth lowered herself to his level and reached his eyes." I want you to know, no matter what, we are your friends. If you have any problems-any at all-, just come to find us, alright? We do care for you." She gave a gentle smile.

Nico tried for a grin," Yeah, sure, Annabeth. I know, and for the last time, I'm perfectly fine.''

They both knew he wasn't.

"You should go get Percy before he messes something up, as he always does." Nico smirked.

"Right, of course, he is a Seaweed brain after all." Annabeth laughed fondly, and set off after Percy.

"See you, Nico!"

 _I'm perfectly fine._

Nico hugged his clipboard to himself as he watched Annabeth tackle Percy from behind, laughing.

 _I'm perfectly fine._

He forced himself to look away as their hands intertwined so naturally, as if they were one being instead of two.

He felt sick.

* * *

 **Cue flashback**

 _"U-um, you see, I wasn't trying to spy on you, I swear! I just woke up, see? And, w-well, I saw you and I was about to leave! Oh! And I was just waking up_ here, _since I saw this horse, well, i-it wasn't really a horse, because it's glowing and and shimmers and- um, I m-mean, I-"_

 _He started rambling in a mix of Italian and English, while making a lot of wild hand signs, which Tom wasn't able to follow at all, and it was getting rather annoying, so he clamped a hand over the boy's mouth, effectively shutting him up for good._

 _Tom relished in the sudden silence for a while, and exhaled._

 _"Look, I don't care who you are, or why you're here, just tell me a reason why I shouldn't kill you for spying on me."_

 _He removed his hand from the boy's mouth._

 _The boy looked up at him with his big eyes, and said,"Because Papa will get mad."_

 _As if it were the simplest question._

 _Tom smirked, so he was just another spoilt child of another sheltered home, with a loving mother and an overprotective father, just like all the other children he met._

 _He hated those people, they were always so full of themselves, thinking they would be safe no matter what._

 _Tom threw the boy to the ground, and fell upon him, ready to unleash the rage of being intruded upon in his private moment._

 _But just before his first fist connected with the boy's calm face, he was immediately thrown backwards into the air by an unknown force._

 _He could almost swear it was a shadow, of all things._

 _He hit the ground on the other side of the clearing and lied there, stunned. Then he began to laugh maniacally._

 _Then the boy did something very unexpected._

 _When Tom felt the hand collide with his face, he was too stunned to move, he stared at the boy with wide eyes, frozen in place._

 _Then he got angry,"What the heck was that for?!"_

 _The boy shrunk back a little, stuttering," W-well I thought you were turning hysterical..."_

 _"Why would you even think that ?!"_

 _'' Well, you started laughing so hard for no reason..."_

 _Tom wanted to bang his head against the ground. This boy was unexpectedly dense._

 _He felt the side of his cheek, he could feel it reddening. The boy could throw a mean punch._

 _Tom so very wanted to inflict the same punishment on the boy, but he knew from recent experience he couldn't._

 _Speaking of that, what even had happened?_

 _Tom knew that it was something supernatural, like those accidents he have._

 _He was right, after all. The boy was different from the rest, just like him._

 _Tom studied the dark haired boy who was fumbling through an apology and fidgeting on the ground._

 _Maybe this boy could be the gateway to learning the extent of the abilities he have, since he couldn'y understand much about them himself, as he normally only does those things by accident._

 _Tom felt slightly excited at the prospect of learning his powers, and discovering what they really are, this was the closest he had ever gotten to a lead._

 _" Hey, stop that, it's getting really annoying." Tom referred to the boy's fidgeting._

 _" S-sorry..." The boy went quiet._

 _"What's your name?"_

 _The boy paused for a moment then said," Isn't it rather rude to ask of my name when you haven't given yours?"_

 _Tom blanched slightly at his boldness, but he had to learn more about the boy, so he got his temper under control._

 _For now._

 _" Alright then, let's try this again: my name is Tom, Tom Riddle, what's yours?''_

* * *

 **Seems like this chapter is short as hell, I'm sorry about that, really, next chapter is when the action should start, so it will be longer. I promise.**

 **Bye for now, then.**


	3. Chapter 3

**_Chapter Three_**

 **Thanks for all the reviews, follows, and favorites, I truly appreciate them. XD**

 **And now I bring you the third chapter of my fanfic:**

* * *

Nico raised a hand to brush away a branch that had fallen into his line of view, and he evaluated his situation once again.

He was hiding in a tree, in the neatly trimmed back lawn of an amazingly dull and gray house, which was located in a street full of equally boring and boxy houses, in England.

Yes, he was in England.

Stalking a boy.

How on earth did he end up in this peculiar scenario again? Nico questioned his life choices.

Then he reminded himself that it was an inevitable request from his father, and that although Nico wanted to knee him in the groin every time he saw him, he still subconsciously wished to be able to impress him. He wanted his father to acknowledge him, and to respect him as a worthy son of Hades. He had managed to accomplish this, after the second Titan War, as if it had not been for Nico's unwavering determination to bring Hades into the war, the gods would have lost against the enemy lines, and if not for that, Hades wouldn't have been welcomed amongst the gods as the savior of Olympus, for his great bravery in battle, a feeling he hadn't felt in quite a while.

And for that, Hades put aside his previous prejudices towards Nico, and since then had treated Nico fairy well, and maybe it was because of this, that Nico wanted to complete this mission as best as he good, so as not to let his father down.

A week after the war had ended, Nico was summoned down to the underworld by Hades, and Persephone's attendant, the goddess of magic, Hecate. Nico was told about the world of magic and wizards, which coexists separately from Camp Half-Blood. He was told about the famous magic school in England, Hogwarts, of Lord Voldemort's short and dark reign, and of the prophecy, which had yet to be solved.

Nico subconsciously fingered his skull ring.

 _(A/N The prophecy for your reference:_

 _The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches..._

 _born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..._

 _and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..._

 _but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..._

 _and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..._

 _the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies...)_

The prophecy was a complicated one. Its details were simple enough, the only one who had the owner to kill Voldemort was the boy who fulfilled the requirements of the prophecy, Harry Potter, in this case.

Most people in the Wizarding world probably dismissed the prophecy as finished when Harry Potter "killed" Voldemort, but as the prophecy states that both of them had to die by the other's hand, it meant Voldemort wasn't finished yet, as Harry still lived. Becoming known as The Boy Who Lived, by the way.

This was further confirmed by Dumbledore when Voldemort had reappeared in Hogwarts last year, this time in the form of a face in another man's turban, of all things, and targeted Harry. The boy managed to stay alive and drive him away, but this might still mean that Voldemort was able to come back from the dead, by one form or another.

And thus, Dumbledore consulted the goddess Hecate, who watches over the wizarding world, for guidance. Dumbledore, and the rest of the Wizarding world, doesn't know of the Greek gods or their offsprings, of course. To Dumbledore, Hecate simply existed as The Great Lady, Hekate, a wise and powerful witch whom he had the luck to be acquaintanced to in his younger is a rather revealing name, but it's easier to remember, and one thing gods have pride of is their names.

It is a rather revealing name, but it's easier to remember, and one thing gods have pride of, is their names.

Hecate, as a response, told him to trust in his instincts, and that she would send a person to supervise the carrying out of the prophecy, and to gather information on the Dark Lords activities, whom she is sure of, will try to rise to power once again.

One thing of which Nico was quite curious of, and which both his father and Hecate refused to tell him, was how the wizarding world began. And after their abrupt rejection to tell him, Nico never mentioned it again.

Throughout the summer, Nico had done a lot of digging around in the wizarding world. After receiving the formal letter of acceptance from the school, he sought out a wizarding town and did his shopping for supplies there. He had gotten everything, except for his wand, which Hecate told him she would be personally making it, and would give to it him before the school year started.

Hades also had he decency the open up a wizarding bank vault just for him, so that it would be more convenient for him to retrieve and use the wizard's currency. And, being the richest Olympian, it was no surprise that the huge bank vault was filled with mountains of gold and jewels. Nico felt a bit touched at the act, yet at the same time he understood that this meant that his mission was going to be a long termed one, and he felt slightly wary of the fact.

Nico frequently visited the library in the wizarding town, and read up on tons of books regarding many aspects such as the history of the wizarding world, the reign on Voldemort, the Ministry of Magic, and several varied books on magic spells, potions, and other covered school topics. If he was going to blend into the world of magic, he should at least know about it inside out, not to mention that he had to compensate for the one year he missed, since he was starting second year next month.

And besides doing research, Nico also did some other small side jobs, like stalking Harry Potter.

Which brings us back to the story at hand.

Nico was currently hiding in a tree, staring at the boy who lived.

Yeah, totally not creepy at all.

Harry Potter had just come out to the back lawn of his adopted family, after an hour of being shouted at by his uncle and his family. Nico had long since got tired of hearing their disgusting voices and seeing the discrimination they impose on Harry. He wondered time and again how Harry had miraculously survived under their care, and how he had managed to spend his whole life with them without becoming insane and turning into a mass murdering psychopath or something.

Nico felt absolutely disgusted with the Dursleys, and already bore somewhat of a respect for Harry, who was able to stand their abuse day after day.

Listening to the Dursleys shout gave him a massive headache, and combined with the fact that he was in a very uncomfortable position on the tree, with the rough branches digging into his skin, and leafs poking him everywhere, on a hot summer day, with the summer heat bearing down on him, he was not in the best of moods, to say the least.

He thought England was supposed to be a place with cloudy skies, cool climate and frequent rainfall.

Nico felt a trickle of sweat run down his back while watching Harry slump down on a garden bench and look longingly at the sky.

Poor guy, he thought.

Just when Nico decided he was done stalking for the day, and decided to shadow travel back to the library, he was stopped in his tracks when he suddenly sensed something, another presence nearby. His eyes swept over the surrounding area, and were jolted back to Harry, when he heard something which clenched his heart.

"Happy birthday to me . . . happy birthday to me . . ."

He was singing it under his breath, but Nico could make it out.

So it was his birthday, huh...

Nico knew the feeling of having no closed ones to celebrate important times with, so he deeply sympathized with the boy.

It was Harry's birthday, and so far Nico had seen no indication of the Dursleys recognizing it, nor of them celebrating it. He knew this was to be expected of, and he was sure Harry knew this too, but still, it must pain him, to let such an important day for him pass by unnoticed.

Since he knew wizards communicate by owls, and he didn't see any owls visiting the house, he came to the assumption that either Harry had no friends at school, or they had simply forgotten his birthday as well.

Harry suddenly sat bolt upright on the garden bench. Nico tensed, had he somehow sensed Nico?

But Harry was staring intensely into the hedge in front of him, and Nico trained his senses there as well, recognizing the thing he had somewhat detected just moments ago.

However, as fast as it had appeared, it was gone again. Nico filed this away into his memory, this is certainly a thing he had to acknowledge.

Looking back at Harry Potter, it seems that his cousin, Dudley, was waddling up to him.

It was a miracle that, despite the ridiculous amount of fat on his body, Dudley had defied all odds and still managed to be able to move around.

"I know what day it is," Dudley said, coming right up to Harry.

"Well done," said Harry. "So you've finally learned the days of the week."

"Today's your birthday," sneered Dudley. "How come you haven't got any cards? Haven't you even got friends at that freak place?"

"Better not let your mum hear you talking about my school," said Harry coolly.

Amazingly, his cousin also managed to muster up enough brain cells to remember Harry's birthday.

Nico watched Harry scare Dudley off with the usual pretense that he was going to fire a spell at him, and silently applauded Harry.

However, as cooly as Harry had played him off, he knew that a particular thing Dudley had said had jabbed Harry in his gut- that Harry's friends didn't care enough for him to send even a birthday card to him.

Harry was probably doubting his friends himself, and that was just pouring salt on the wound.

As it seemed that the rest of the day would be uneventful, Nico decided to retreat for now and go to the wizarding town. Who knows, maybe Harry will find a small surprise for him at the end of the day.

* * *

When Nico returned at midnight, he didn't notice much amiss at first, having missed what had transpired that evening, and left the box on Harry Potter's bedside table.

He was rich anyways, and it should be important to the boy, so he decided to be a good Samaritan for once.

Nico realized that he hasn't even had physical contact with the boy yet, the other didn't even know of his existence, yet Nico was already growing a little fond of the boy. One would be, after watching over him for the whole summer.

Then, as he idly looked around the room, he noticed something.

The wall had a strange dent to it, and the lamp crooked as well, and thrown off to the side.

Something had happened while he was gone.

Nico inwardly cursed himself for being so inattentive. What kind of stalker was he? Obviously something had happened, and now he had to be on higher alert.

* * *

 **I have a question for you all: Wanna guess which friend group Nico will be in in Hogwarts?**

 **Bye for now, then.**


	4. AN

New chapter coming soon, it will be loooooong, so don't think I'm giving up on this, I've just been too busy focusing on Art, and there was the thing where I forgot my password and email account...

IM SO SORRY IM A HORRIBLE HUMAN BEING


	5. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

 **I do not own** **Nico** **or Harry, enjoy this chapter :)**

* * *

Nico struggled to track the floo travel through the shadows. He wasn't sure how he could do it, but he decided a long time ago that it's better to just not ask.

It had been a weird week, first Harry had been locked into his room, with _metal bars_ installed on his windows, which further confirmed the fact that something _had_ happened during his short absence. And since Potter was grounded into his room, it had been really boring for Nico to watch over him. However, it was important to keep an eye out for any suspicious persons lurking around the house.

First it was that strange occurrence at the garden, where something had appeared and disappeared in an instant, leaving almost no tracks behind. Then there was the strange indentations in Harry's rooHm, and the very faint sense of the same same being which had appeared in the garden. Nico had been unable to track it, it was like something popped into existence then popped out again, unlike his shadow travel, which actually has a path.

Then that night, something unbelievable happened. Nico had been half asleep, and struggling to keep his eyes open from the exhaustion of staring at a boy pace in his room all day, so he had thought he was hallucinating when the flying car came and parked right beside the boy who lived window, kidnapped the boy himself, and right in front of his gawking foster family. Nico couldn't believe how fast something could escalate so quickly, but he managed to shake himself out of his stupor and latch onto the car's shadow just in time before it flew too far.

Then he spent the rest of the night continuously struggling to stay in the car's shadows, which was incredibly tiring, so by the time they reached the weird structure, which looked like a lot of different houses with all sorts of shapes and sizes stacked on top of each other, which gave it a very… crooked look.

Later, Nico found out that it was called the Burrow, and that Harry's kidnappers were his friends from Hogwarts, who have brought him home for the rest of the summer. The Burrow was the home of a big family of ginger haired wizards, which had a warm and homely atmosphere, despite its… unique look.

And now, Nico was attempting to follow Harry's floo travel in his shadows.

He was sensing that they will approach their destination soon, which was supposed to be a wizard's market, yet it felt that they were headed towards something dark and ominous.

Nico could sense something ahead which made him feel sick and repulsive, even though he couldn't decipher what it was.

What was happening? Had the floo travel somehow gone wrong? Where were they headed?

Faster and faster, the unknown entity came closer and closer to Nico. Nico's whole body recoiled, whatever it was, his body didn't want to go near it.

So, naturally, Nico panicked and pulled out.

* * *

The fires dumped Harry face first onto the cold stone, conveniently snapping Harry's glasses in two.

Dizzy and bruised, covered in soot, he got gingerly to his feet, holding his broken glasses up to his eyes. He was quite alone, but where he was, he had no idea. All he could tell was that he was standing in the stone fireplace of what looked like a large, dimly lit wizard's shop — but nothing in here was ever likely to be on a Hogwarts school list.

Wherever this was, it was definitely not Diagon Alley.

The sooner he got out of here, the better. Nose still stinging where it had hit the hearth, Harry made his way swiftly and silently toward the door, but before he'd got halfway toward it, two people appeared on the other side of the glass — and one of them was the very last person Harry wanted to meet when he was lost, covered in soot, and wearing broken glasses: Draco Malfoy.

Great. Just his luck.

Panicking, Harry looked quickly around and spotted a large black cabinet to his left; he shot inside it and pulled the doors closed, leaving a small crack to peer through. Seconds later, a bell clanged, and Malfoy stepped into the shop.

The man who followed could only be Draco's father. He had the same pale, pointed face and identical cold, gray eyes. Mr. Malfoy crossed the shop, looking lazily at the items on display, and rang a bell on the counter before turning to his son and saying, "Touch nothing, Draco."

Malfoy, who had reached for the glass eye, said, "I thought you were going to buy me a present."

It's truly amazing how vividly Harry could remember his whiny voice, despite the two months they had spent apart.

"I said I would buy you a racing broom," said his father, drumming his fingers on the counter.

"What's the good of that if I'm not on the House team?" said Malfoy, looking sulky and bad-tempered. "Harry Potter got a Nimbus Two Thousand last year. Special permission from Dumbledore so he could play for Gryffindor. He's not even that good, it's just because he's famous . . . famous for having a stupid scar on his forehead. . ."

As if he wanted to.

As Malfoy continued on with his rant about Harry, Harry tuned him out. He wondered briefly what the Malfoys were doing in a dusty old shop like this, but dismissed soon after. Perhaps they could be here to pick up some antiques, though Harry couldn't imagine anyone wanted one of the displays exhibited in this place.

Then again, what did he know about the Malfoys' tastes? Maybe they have a weird thing for creepy old décor.

Harry was brought back to attention when Malfoy's dad started talking about the ministry.

"-conducting more raids," said Mr. Malfoy, taking a roll of parchment from his inside pocket and unraveling it for Mr. Borgin to read.

"I have a few — ah — items at home that might embarrass me, if the Ministry were to call. . ."

Mr. Borgin fixed a pair of pince-nez to his nose and looked down the list.

"The Ministry wouldn't presume to trouble you, sir, surely?" Mr. Malfoy's lip curled.

Clearly his pride had taken a blow.

"I have not been visited yet. The name Malfoy still commands a certain respect, yet the Ministry grows ever more meddlesome. There are rumors about a new Muggle Protection Act — no doubt that flea-bitten, Muggle-loving fool Arthur Weasley is behind it —"

Harry felt a hot surge of anger.

"— and as you see, certain of these poisons might make it appear —"

"I understand, sir, of course," said Mr. Borgin. "Let me see . . ."

"Can I have that?" interrupted Draco, pointing to a glass case nearby which held a withered hand on a cushion.

Yep, perhaps the Malfoy family does have a weird thing for creepy things.

"Ah, the Hand of Glory!" said Mr. Borgin, abandoning Mr. Malfoy's list and scurrying over to Draco. "Insert a candle and it gives light only to the holder! Best friend of thieves and plunderers! Your son has fine taste, sir."

"I hope my son will amount to more than a thief or a plunderer, Borgin," said Mr. Malfoy coldly, and Mr. Borgin said quickly, "No offense, sir, no offense meant —"

"Though if his grades don't pick up," said Mr. Malfoy, more coldly still, "that may indeed be all he is fit for —"

"It's not my fault," retorted Draco. "The teachers all have favorites, that Hermione Granger —"

Harry tensed, he could sense Draco was about to spew some very unflattering comments about his friend.

"I would have thought you'd be ashamed that a girl of no wizard family beat you in every exam," snapped Mr. Malfoy.

"Ha!" said Harry under his breath, pleased to see Draco looking both abashed and angry.

"It's the same all over," said Mr. Borgin, in his oily voice. "Wizard blood is counting for less everywhere —"

"Not with me," said Mr. Malfoy, his long nostrils flaring.

"No, sir, nor with me, sir," said Mr. Borgin, with a deep bow.

"In that case, perhaps we can return to my list," said Mr. Malfoy shortly. "I am in something of a hurry, Borgin, I have important business elsewhere today —"

They started to haggle. Harry watched nervously as Draco drew nearer and nearer to his hiding place, examining the objects for sale. Draco paused to examine a long coil of hangman's rope and to read, smirking, the card propped on a magnificent necklace of opals:

 _Caution: Do Not Touch. Cursed — Has Claimed the Lives of Nineteen Muggle Owners to Date._

Draco turned away and to the cabinet Harry was currently hiding in. Walking forward, he extended a hand.

Harry squeezed his eyes shut, scared to breathe, waiting for the blinding light that would pour inevitably pour in once the cabinet was forced open…

It never came.

* * *

Once Nico had detected Harry in Borgin and Burkes, he immediately shadow travelled Harry out of there., and directly to him.

He had sensed something nauseating to him there, it had to be the same object which had caused him to drop out of Harry's shadow earlier, and he couldn't afford to let whatever that was to get to Harry.

Clamping a hand over his mouth, he resisted the need to vomit and forced the sick feeling back down his throat. The boy-who-lived had to be taken care of first, he can trace the object later. It was still within his radar anyways, so it would be no problem investigating it later.

Looking to his side, he saw Harry with his eyes shut tightly, curled into himself. It seems that he had not detected the change in scene yet.

Nico sighed inwardly, it would be painful trying to explain it to him, it would certainly be easier to just run away and allow Harry to come to a conclusion on his own, but this would be a good chance for him to get close to Harry, and finally meet him in person.

Placing a hand on his shoulders, Nico shook him gently, "Hey, you okay?"

When Harry finally opened his eyes and unfolded himself, he did so while staring warily at Nico. Looking around, he seemed to be taking in his surroundings, wrapping his head around the fact that he had only been stuck in a closet a second ago.

"Wait... how... where did I go? The shop... Malfoy...Who are you?"

Nico winced, he admitted that it might look bad. After all, he had been magically transported to a dark alleyway with a sketchy looking kid looming above him. Anyone would feel suspicious at that point.

"It's Nico. Who are you? I got lost and found you lying here, so I'm afraid I don't know what had happened to you."H

"...I'm Harry. Harry Potter."

* * *

Soon, the two boys had exchanged stories, and Harry had been surprised to hear that Nico was going to transfer to Hogwarts, and in the same year as him, at that!

At first, he had his doubts about the guy. Nico was dressed in all black, and with his messy dark hair which curled around his pale face, he almost looked like a ghost. He did have good looks, Harry admitted, but had a chilling and dark atmosphere around him, as if shadows stuck to him wherever he went. Harry had identified his slight accent as a mix between American and Italian, yet there was another language in there that Harry could not pin down...

Nonetheless, Harry was glad to have Nico encounter him, there were people much worse out there. Thinking back to his sudden transportation, Harry wondered whether Dobby had once again interfered, but this time, Harry was glad he had, he couldn't imagine what would've happened if he caught caught by Draco Malfoy.

He shuddered, better not to think about it.

"Hey, we're out."

They emerged out of the area later ,bwhich they had identified as Knockturn Alley, and went back into the busy street of Diagon Alley, stumbling upon Hermione, whom Harry had never felt more relieved to see.

"Harry! Harry! Over here!"

Hermione Granger waved to Harry, standing at the top of the white flight of steps to Gringotts. She ran down to meet them, her bushy brown hair flying behind her. "What happened to your glasses? Oh, it's so wonderful to see you again — Are you coming into Gringotts, Harry?"bh

"As soon as I've found the Weasleys," said Harry.

"Seems like you won't have long to wait" Nico muttered from under his breath.

Sprinting up the crowded street were Ron, Fred, George, Percy, and Mr. Weasley.

"Harry," Mr. Weasley panted. "We hoped you'd only gone one grate too far…" He mopped his glistening bald patch. "Molly's frantic — she's coming now —"

"Where did you come out?" Ron asked.

"Knockturn Alley," said Harry, a bit overwhelmed by the sudden attention.

"Excellent!" said Fred and George together.

"We've never been allowed in," said Ron enviously.

"And there's a very good reason why, I should think." Nico butted in, thinking back to the chilling aura he had detected back there.

The Weaselys, and Hermione, turned to him, seemingly only now noticing him there.

"Harry, whose he?" Ron asked, suspiciously eyeing him.

Harry was about to reply, when Mrs. Weasely hurried over, her handbag swinging wildly in one hand, and Ginny clinging to the other.

"Oh, Harry — oh, my dear — you could have been anywhere —"

Gasping for breath she pulled a large clothes brush out of her bag and began sweeping off the

soot which still clung on him from the floo powder experience. Mr. Weasley took Harry's glasses, gave them a tap of

his wand, and returned them, good as new.

"I'm alright, Mrs. Weasely, I was with Nico... Oh! You've probably not heard of him but he's a new transfer at Hogwarts, and he got lost there in Knockturn Alley same as me-"

Harry turned to gesture at Nico, but instead of the gloomy teenager, he was met with thin air.

"He's gone..?"

In the huge fuss and commotion, nobody had noticed the demigod slip away.

* * *

 **See you next chapter!**


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